Poll: Majority of Trump voters would support him even if he colluded with Russia

A majority of President Donald Trump’s voters surveyed by the left-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) believe he should continue to serve as president even if it’s proven that he conspired with Russia to sway the 2016 election.

Just 14 per cent of Trump voters said he should resign in the event that special counsel Robert Mueller or the congressional intelligence committees find that he colluded with Russia. On the other hand, 77 per cent of Trump voters believe he should remain in office if the collusion claims are proven true. When Democrats and independent voters were factored into the results, 37 per cent of respondents said they believed Trump should stay in office if he colluded with Russia.

The survey also found that 52 per cent of respondents believe members of Trump’s campaign team worked with Russia to help him clinch the presidency. The results were split along partisan lines: while 86 per cent of those who voted for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton believe the Trump-Russia allegations, just 13 per cent of Trump voters do.

These polls come as special counsel Robert Mueller continues the FBI investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, including whether members of Trump’s campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the election in his favour. Mueller is also looking into whether Trump sought to obstruct justice when he fired FBI director James Comey in May.

So far, the special counsel’s office has charged four individuals in Trump’s orbit in connection to the Russia investigation: former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former adviser and Manafort associate Rick Gates, early foreign-policy adviser George Papadopoulos, and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Trump has repeatedly denied colluding with Russia and called Mueller’s probe a “Democrat hoax.” When reporters asked Trump on Friday whether he would consider pardoning Flynn, who was charged on December 1 with one count of making false statements to investigators about his Russian contacts, Trump replied cryptically.

“I don’t want to talk about pardons for Michael Flynn yet. We’ll see what happens. Let’s see,” Trump said. “I can say this: When you look at what’s gone on with the FBI and Justice Department, people are very, very angry.”

PPP surveyed 862 registered voters earlier this week on a range of issues including voters’ thoughts on the Trump-Russia investigation, the president’s job performance, sexual harassment allegations, and fake news. The surveys sampled 43 per cent Democrats, 33 per cent Republicans, and 24 per cent independents.

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